Slash and the Single FanFic Reader

Single as in ALONE at the time of the reading...not single as in not married or otherwise attached....

Because I am indeed part of a domestic union....

...and not some kind of pervy, smut reading, lone wolf who can't form a real relationship and so has nothing better to do than wank off to the sick and twisted scribblings of some amateur porn hack.

Uhm...not that there's anything wrong with that. ;-D

Just kidding. Trying to clear the air of frustrations.

Lord knows, I don't wish to alienate anyone before I start alienating people.

Recently, MPOETESS did a very funny bit featuring the Jossverse Fancred Stat Sheet. Very soon I will be filling out my stats. All should link and respond...it is a wonderful thing she has wrought.

However, one of the many questions on the Form was about SLASH. During the multiple answers bit she, I assume satirically, linked the hatred of SLASH to Homophobia.

This prompted me and mien cyber buds to discuss the idea of WHY NOT LIKING SLASH MIGHT BE LINKED TO HOMOPHOBIA?

AllyV said, "Because that's what people say when you say you don't read slash! That you're homophobic!"

I begged her pardon!

Apparently, I don't get out much.

A rant was born.

First off...my credentials: While I am an occasional reader of Slash, I do not generally seek it out...neither do I abstain. I am an occasional reader of FanFic of any description. I have written two slash fics one MM and one FF and have two others (both MM) on my hard drive. A good cyber-bud of mine HATES Slash and so...she doesn't read mine. That's okay by me.

I will, also, admit to getting a touch of the Cosmic Horn over a little Spike/Angel fic called, "I want to F**k him" by Saber Shadowkitten. I printed it out and read it two more times. It was NOT a literary work. Sorry Saber! It was visceral, though, and powerful and that's what I liked about it. I have read Estepheia's* X/S Slash. And a wonderful Angel/Wes fic called, A SIMPLE REACTION by DUSK. My buddy Circe did a marvy S/X slash fic that made me smile. I thought the Xander speak was spot on.

Now for the shocking confession: Two men having sex isn't one of my turn ons. I generally get nothing out of the experience of reading MM Slash.

For the record, I don't like tickling either.

Nor, am I a big fan of the vampiric biting which is so very popular with others in my fandom. It leaves me yawning.

And indeed, hold onto your hat...

I am a bit squicked out by the idea of Xander having sex with ANYONE!!

I don't fancy Xander, you see? I don't consider him a sexual object. To me Xander is kind of like...a table lamp (I mean, like a table lamp would be to a person who is NOT sexually stimulated by table lamps).

And this brings me to the crux of this post and I know it is a shocker.

PEOPLE DIFFER SEXUALLY! We just do!

Some people like having their toes licked. Some people like spanking or being spanked. Some people like really rough sex scenes. Some people even like Giles/Wood fic.

Okay, those last people are SICK!

Kidding...

...mostly!

G/Wood fic squicks me, too. And I don't mind saying so. Does that make me Watcherphobic? Not really! That makes me a person with a radically different idea of sexuality than the Giles/Wood fic fan. I should be able to say it...publicly and proudly...

"I get squicked out by Giles/Wood fic. Yes, I do!"

I should also be able to say publicly that I don't read or am squicked out by F/F slash if I want. Or that Naked Spike makes my skin crawl (and NOT in that nice skin crawly way). Or that I just can't see Angel having sex with a woman of any description (where the woman cooperates anyway). As long as I don't try to stop OTHER people from reading, writing or enjoying said fics. So what?

Smutty FanFic is supposed to be fun. And well...sexy. If it makes your skin crawl...that's a good enough reason not to read it. If it just leaves you yawning...that's a good reason, too.

Sexuality is kind of an individual thing. And it seems to me that part of being TOLERANT is tolerating someone's right NOT to read or like something. I can write my little heart out, beta up the yazoo and turn out what I find a hot and charming gender swapping fic like SWEET SPOT. And then I can proudly listen while someone says..."ICK, that is just...sooooo SICK!"**

Because well...all that means is...my fic didn't do a THING for them in the low, down tickly way. That doesn't mean there is anything WRONG with me...or them...or my fic really.

It, however, does mean we're not sexually compatible, me and this anonymous reviewer.

But again I say...so what?

I'm already taken anyway.

End of Rant.

*Thanks for the correct spelling, DtP...I bow to your wisdomosity.

**And here we assume, for the sake of my argument, that the "ICK" and "SICK" reference the Gender-Swaping, FF slashiness and NOT my stellar prose style.